Jade
by Ms. Fit
Summary: Harry gets a distraction from life at Number 4 Privet Drive in the form of a troubled and impetuous Slytherin classmate. Dysfunctional Death Eaters, dozing Dursleys, and one devilishly dark overlord.
1. Distraction

  
  
A/N: All characters belong to JK Rowling with the exception of Jade, who is almost completely my creation (except for her real last name if you want to get technical). No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended. 

This story takes place in the summer after GoF. Hopefully, you don't need to be reminded what happened in the previous school year. 

Please note that this is rated R for violence, sexual situations and disturbing content.

Chapter 1: Distraction

She came to him in the middle of the night. She flew on her Swiftstick Z28 to Number 4 Privet Drive, hovered outside his window and knocked gently on the glass panes so as not to wake the rest of the house. 

Like so many other nights that summer, Harry had been lying awake in his bed, preferring his own tortured thoughts to whatever new horrors awaited him in his nightmares. Nightmares of his last year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry at the end of which, the Dark Lord Voldemort had returned to power. Open for a distraction, Harry went over to the half opened window.

Harry recognized her as a student from Hogwarts but he'd never actually met her. She was Harry's age but something in her eyes made her appear older. She was wearing a ripped t-shirt with a short black skirt. Her long, dark brunette hair fell about her face in straight, wispy strands and she wore way too much makeup for a girl her age. She batted her eyelashes at him. "Well? Aren't you going to let me in?" 

If Harry didn't know better, he would have thought she was a veela. She had a way of sitting on her broomstick that he'd never seen before. It was ... suggestive. Harry could tell right away that she was trouble. It would be very stupid of him to let a strange girl into his bedroom in the middle of the night. He moved his hand around to his back and felt his wand sticking out of his pajamas. 

He always had his wand, even when he got up to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night; it had become second nature to him. Every morning, he would grab the wand from underneath his pillow and hide it somewhere so his Aunt and Uncle wouldn't see it. Stuck in his sock, underneath his too long jeans. Safety-pinned with a string to the inside of his sweater sleeve. Or, on warmer days, stuck in his belt loop hid easily under a large T-shirt. He was mildly surprised that he had automatically grabbed it just to get up and go to the window.

Harry thought of Ron, Hermione and then Sirius, wondering what they would advise him to do in this situation. Of course, he knew what they would say. But he let her in anyway. 

She said her name was Jade but Harry knew her real name was Bernice. When he mentioned this, she waved her hand dismissively. "Bernice?" She seethed. "What a boring name." Seeing that he didn't believe her, she changed the subject. "You're a tough person to find, Harry."

"How did you find me?" Harry said suspiciously.

"I looked in all the Muggle directories till I found them," she said proudly. "Vernon and Petunia Dursley, Number Four Privet Drive, Little Whinging, Surrey."

"How did you know my family's name?"

"Well, it was printed right in the Prophet, of course. Didn't you know?"

Harry shook his head.

"I saved all the articles they've ever printed about you. That first one about you becoming the Triwizard Champion... well, they had everything about you. Don't you ever read your own articles?"

"No," said Harry who was still carefully watching her as if she was about to sprout fangs. "Aren't you in Slytherin?" he asked.

"Yes," she said. "What of it?"

"You're probably friends with Draco Malfoy, aren't you? And this is some big joke?"

Jade frowned at the mention of Draco's name. "Puhleeze. He's a snobby little wanker who thinks he's too good for anyone." Suddenly she grinned. "And he really hates you, doesn't he?"

"The feeling is mutual. Come to mention it, I've never met a Slytherin that I've gotten along with."

"Oh? Are you prejudiced against Slytherins?" 

Harry didn't say anything. 

"We're not all the same, you know." 

"I didn't say that," Harry said a bit too defensively. This time, it was he who changed the subject. "So, what do you want?"

Her eyes sparkled as she licked her lips. "I just wanted to meet you. The _enigmatic_ Harry Potter. I've been trying to work up the nerve to talk to you for ages," she said coyly.

Harry strongly doubted if she had ever been shy a day in her life. "I'm afraid you're going to be disappointed."

She moved closer to him and looked deep into his eyes.  
"I believe...that we're _soul mates_ destined to be together."

Harry tried not to laugh at the absurdity of it. "What are you playing at? Soul mates? You don't even know me."

She turned her head down shyly and lifted her eyes to meet his. "It's just a feeling. An instinct. I feel like I've known you forever. It's like ... it's like magic at its deepest." She moved still closer to him. "Haven't you ever had a feeling like that, Harry?"

"No," Harry said coolly. 

She smiled. "Hmm, I think you have. You just don't want to admit it." She started to close her eyes as she leaned her face up to his. 

There was no doubt about it, she was going to kiss him. 

On instinct, Harry grabbed her wrists and held her away from him. Shocked by the sudden movement, she stared at him fearfully. They stood there for a moment; Harry surveyed her to determine the sincerity of her emotions.

Suddenly, she smiled. "So that's how you like it, huh? Rough? I knew you weren't a total pouf..."

Horrified, Harry let her arms go and backed away from her, "Uh... it's late and I don't want you to wake up my family. You'd better leave."

She seemed delighted to have hit a nerve. "Boy, you are paranoid. If this is the extent of your romance skills, no wonder you don't have a girlfriend." 

Harry was becoming more and more angry. "You can leave now."

She was suddenly very apologetic, "I'm sorry, Harry. I was just teasing. I do that when I get nervous."

"Nervous? Why don't I believe that?"

"You're cautious. I can respect that. I'm the same way."

"If you've come here to insult me, you'd better just leave the way you came."

She looked at him sympathetically. "My but you're sensitive. I said I was sorry."

"Whatever you're here for, I'm not interested. So, you might as well..."

"Harry..." she interrupted. "I am really sorry." She looked almost sincere. "I've traveled so far to introduce myself to you. I had to go the long way to avoid populated areas. Please don't kick me out so soon. Let me try this again." She lowered her eyes demurely and held out her hand. "Hi. My name is Jade."

Harry sighed, pushed the foreboding thoughts from his mind and stuck out hand.

Over the next five days, he asked himself every day why he kept letting her in. Even more disturbing, even to himself, is why he didn't tell anyone about her. Maybe he was sick of people worrying about him. Sirius had enough to worry about. Hadn't he, Harry, proved time and again that he could take care of himself? Dumbledore had told him to trust his instincts, and that's what he was going to do.

Or perhaps she had somehow enchanted him or slipped him a love potion. But he wasn't in love with her and he didn't feel like he was being forced into letting her in. It was just an instinct. A very strong instinct that he had nothing to fear from her.

Nevertheless, he was constantly on his guard with her. He considered all possibilities and made it clear that he didn't trust her. She was not discouraged. "I don't blame you," she said. "No one is trustworthy in this world. People take what they can get and throw you out like yesterday's garbage."

"You don't leave a lot of room for optimism," Harry said.

"I'm not feeling sorry for myself. Just stating the facts." She flipped back a strand of hair and added condescendingly, "I know this from _experience_, Harry."

Harry nodded. "Yeah, I've heard you're quite experienced."

Harry had heard stories about her from other boys in the bathrooms of Hogwarts. But Harry rarely listened to these stories. Being the subject of so much gossip himself, he knew that only a small portion of it was usually true. However, the more she visited him, the more he thought the stories were probably not far from the truth.

She couldn't help but grin. "Is that why you keep inviting me back in?"

Harry ignored her comment. "Why are you here, again?"

"To make your life more interesting."

Harry let out a hollow laugh. "My life couldn't get any more interesting."

"All right. How about to make your life more fun."

"What's in it for you?"

"You still don't trust me, do you?"

"No. I don't know you."

"Do we ever really _know_ anybody?" she said dreamily.

"Huh?" Harry looked at her genuinely puzzled. "What are you talking about?"

Her eyes moved to his and her face broke into a grin. "I don't know. I'm just bull shitting. I'm really good at it."

"Your parents must be so proud," Harry couldn't help but smile too.

"They usually get to hear my best stuff," she said.

She had never given him a reason to suspect that she wanted to hurt him. She claimed to not carry her wand with her. 

"You can search me, if you want," she had said, on more than one occasion, with a wicked grin on her face. She took great pleasure at embarrassing him with suggestive comments such as this.

The things she did to the Dursleys were certainly entertaining. To alleviate his worries about them waking up, she brought a sleeping potion with her the second night. She explained that her mother takes a cupful on nights when she is particularly stressed. 

She had poured some into an empty perfume bottle, snuck into their rooms and sprayed it above their heads so they would breathe it in as they slept.

"No worries, love. They won't be waking up anytime soon." She grinned at him. "We can perform all kinds of noisy activities." 

Harry was glad to not have to worry about the Dursleys. But he couldn't help noticing that, when they awoke in the mornings, the Dursleys seemed to be in very high spirits. This was quite unusual for them.

"Are you sure that's just sleeping potion?" he had asked Jade.

She shrugged. "It's my mum's recipe. She uses it to help her sleep."

No doubt seeing how much it amused Harry, she took particular delight in having fun with Dudley while he was sleeping. Harry had to stop her from using a whole tube of Grow-Your-Own-Warts cream on Dudley one night. One little wart on the tip of his nose was innocent enough. But if he had woken up covered head to foot in warts, even Dudley would know that Harry had something to do with it.

Perhaps it was his curiosity that was once again getting the better of him. He really didn't know why she had come to him. He knew that she was not being completely honest. Sometimes, when she let her guard down, Harry could see a profound sadness in her eyes. Whenever she became aware of letting herself appear vulnerable, she would spout off a vulgar comment said purely for the shock value. 

Perhaps he didn't mind the sense of danger and mystery she brought into his life because he had become accustomed to it. Danger followed him around, now more than ever. He rationalized that he couldn't escape it no matter what he did, so why try?

When the night finally came that he found out her secret, he found that no matter how much he had planned for it, he was not prepared to deal with it.

A/N: Thank you for reading! If I could trouble you for just a minute longer, I'd really appreciate it if you could leave a review at this time. 


	2. Daughter

*sigh* No reviews so far.

Would it help if I assure you that she is not a Mary Sue... and that the story gets better... and chapters will be coming quickly...?

Chapter 2: Daughter

Jade was stretched on Harry's bed, toying with his Sneakoscope, which was lying motionless beside her. "So, if it doesn't move, that means I'm a trustworthy person?"

Harry was sitting at his desk. "Yeah, something like that." Harry was happy to see the Sneakoscope validating his own instincts about her.

"Humph," she said scowling. "I must be losing my touch."

She lay back with her head on his pillow and stretched her hands upward playing with the ornate rings on her fingers, which she had proudly claimed to have stolen from a hag in her neighborhood. Her dark hair spread over his pillow as she crossed her ankles. She wore her usual short skirt and pink halter top.

She leaned up and surveyed him closely. "What's wrong with you, Harry? I've been coming here for five days now, practically throwing myself at you, and you've never made a move. Are you really that shy?"

Harry played it cool and smiled nonchalantly. "Maybe we're just not a good match."

Harry wasn't sure why he hadn't made a move on her. She _was_ pretty and it probably would not be unpleasant to kiss her. She was a lot of fun to have around, and he had been sleeping a lot better. Of course, now that he was awake half the night, he was usually too tired to have nightmares. "I told you you'd be disappointed."

"That's okay." She slowly got up from the bed and sauntered up to him. "It just means that I have to make the first move."

Harry froze in his chair.

She slid onto his lap and put her arms around his shoulders. She smelled of rose hips.

He didn't like being so vulnerable. Before he had time to consider it further, she leaned forward and pressed her body against him. Suddenly, her lips were on his. Harry could taste a faint flavor of raspberry. She rhythmically moved her mouth and Harry, having no idea what else to do, mimicked her moves.

They separated and Harry took a steadying breath. "Um... I don't think -"

But he was silenced as Jade put a finger to his lips. "You're not supposed to think, Harry. Just do what feels right."

She bent close to him again and resumed kissing. Her mouth opened slightly and Harry felt her warm, bumpy tongue playing along his lips. Harry wondered if he should stick his tongue out, too. She seemed to know what she was doing and he didn't want to appear an idiot. He decided that he would try touching his tongue to hers.

But before he could try it, she pulled away and fixed him with a questioning gaze. "Haven't you ever kissed a girl before?"

Harry felt his face start to burn. "Of course I have!" he said defiantly. It wasn't a total lie. His teammates, Katie, Angelina and Alicia had all kissed him on more than one occasion. And Hermione had kissed him goodbye after they got off the train last year.

She raised her eyebrows slightly. "Oh? How many girls have you kissed?"

Harry averted his eyes from her gaze. "I don't know," he said quickly. "A couple, I guess."

She just looked at him for a moment then laughed.

Harry was very annoyed by now. "What is so funny?"

She stifled her laughter into a giggle. "You don't even know how to lie properly."

Harry glared at her. "I don't think I like you."

She gave him a pout. "Oh, don't be mad, Harry. I think it's cute."

This did not improve Harry's mood but before he could argue further, she had started kissing him again and all other thoughts were forgotten.

*****

"I would love to see the look on my father's face if I told him I was dating you." She laughed and tossed her hair back. "He'd be so mad. The veins in his temple would probably explode." She looked thoroughly overjoyed at this prospect.

"What are you talking about?" said Harry. "Why would he be mad?"

"Oh," she stopped as if just realizing that Harry was in the room. "Uh..." she said choosing her words carefully, "Well, he's not what I would call a big fan of yours. Sorry. He's just old fashioned. He believes the only good wizard is a pureblood wizard. I know, it's really stupid. I mean, I don't believe that." She looked at Harry sincerely.

"But, why me? My parents were a witch and a wizard."

"Oh...well, he seems to think you're the personal advocate and savior of all the mudbloods of the world," she said dramatically rolling her eyes, "...or something like that. I don't even listen to him when he starts babbling on about it. He thinks he's such an upstanding citizen," she added bitterly. She puffed up her chest and wrinkled her brow, "Mister Bernard Charles Nott, pillar of the community, blah blah blah, what shite!"

Harry had a sudden but vivid image of being surrounded by Death Eaters. And the voice, the voice of his nightmares, _You will do better this time... The same goes for you, Nott._

Harry was on his feet. "Your father's name is Nott?"

She shrugged. "Yeah, can you believe it? Bernice is bad enough. But Bernice Nott? Honestly," she sneered, "it sounds like a troll's name."

She suddenly realized he was pointing his wand at her. He had done this before, but she had always managed to assuage his fears about her. "What's wrong? Why are you pointing your wand at me?"

"As if you didn't know! I knew I shouldn't have trusted you!" Harry was furious.

"What are you talking about, Harry?"

Harry wondered, _could she really not know about her own father?_

"Your father is a Death Eater!" shouted Harry with no concern of waking the Dursleys.

Her face showed no sign of surprise at Harry's accusation. Instead, it was indignation. "He is not! Take that back."

Harry tried to read the look on her face. He could never tell if she was lying or not. "He's a small man, isn't he?"

Her face fell a bit. "What of it?" she demanded.

"He's a Death Eater! I didn't see his face but how many Notts are there?"

She was defiant. "I don't know! Could be lots."

"Has your dad ever been accused of being a Death Eater?"

"What if he was? That means nothing!"

Harry gave her a skeptical look.

Her voice betrayed a slight sense of panic. "It was years ago. He's not now. He wouldn't... He promised."

Harry eyed her suspiciously. "I don't know who you're trying to fool but I think you better leave."

"You don't mean that, Harry."

"Sorry," said Harry. "It's over."

"You're just going to kick me out?"

"Why are you here anyway?" said Harry bitterly. "Using me to rebel against your father?"

"No. No, I wasn't using you," but her eyes did not meet his.

"Please leave," Harry said quietly, "and don't come back here again."

She stared at the floor as her mouth moved but no words came out.

"I'm sorry," Harry said softly. "I'm sorry to have to tell you about your father."

"That's all right," she answered. "I don't know why I'm surprised."

They both stood motionless for a few moments not sure what to do.

Suddenly her eyes widened and she turned to Harry, "Let's run away together!"

Harry laughed uncomfortably.

"I'm serious," she said. "Let's just run away. Far away. Just you and me. Let's just do it!"

Harry stared at her. "Run away with _you_? You're not serious?"

Her face fell. Harry could see she was she was stung by his rejection.

"Uh, Jade..." he said awkwardly, "...you're a really nice girl and all but um, I don't think..."

"Don't you ever want to just run away and be free?"

"Running away is not the answer," he said. "What are you afraid of?"

She didn't answer.

"Dumbledore can help you."

She frowned. "That old fool?"

"He's not an old fool. He's a great wizard! He could help you."

"What about you?"

"What about me? I can't help you."

"Sure you can. You're... You know, the_ Boy Who Lived_."

Harry rolled his eyes. "Oh, right."

"You've survived battle with the Dark Lord like a million times over."

"Actually it was two million times."

"You could probably take on all the Death Eaters by yourself."

"Right!" Harry looked at her incredulously. "And all the Dementors with both hands tied behind my back."

"Yes, I bet you could," she said grinning. "There's obviously _something_ about you. You're golden."

"Believe me, it's just dumb luck."

"Now who's lying to themselves?"

"Don't you get it?" he said angrily. "Yeah, I always survive but you can't say the same for the people around me."

She paused. "Ah," she said thoughtfully. "You know, what happened to Cedric wasn't your fault. He probably just wasn't as good a fighter as you are."

"Don't talk about Cedric," he snapped. "You didn't know him."

She seemed to realize she had gone too far. "Sorry," she said.

Harry stared at her. "Did you _really_ not know about your father?"

She didn't look up. "I have to go," she said abruptly.

Without another word, she went over to the window, grabbed her broomstick and flew off into the night.

********

  
Days went by and Harry didn't hear from her. 

He wrote a long letter to Ron giving him a full account of Jade with all the sordid details. He then wrote a similar but severely truncated version in a letter to Hermione. Believing that Sirius would be angry with him, he was hesitant to write to him. But he knew he had to. Nott was right inside Voldemort's inner circle of Death Eaters. It was a bit unnerving that his daughter could just come right up to Harry's window in the middle of the night. Harry knew he should be very concerned by this but for some reason, he wasn't.

Jade had left the special sleeping potion with Harry but he hadn't had the need to use it. Deprived of their nightly dose of sleeping potion, the Dursleys returned to their usual foul moods.

Sleep became more difficult as the nightmares returned. He knew severing his relationship with Jade was the right thing to do. He berated himself for getting involved with her in the first place. 

One night, as he dozed fitfully, a knock at his window woke him up. 

It was Jade. She was covered in blood.  
  
"I did it, Harry. He can't ever hurt us again," she said with a crazed look in her eyes.

He opened up the window as she climbed into his bedroom and plopped down on the bed. It didn't occur to Harry to worry about what he was going to tell his Aunt Petunia when she asked where the bloodstains had come from. Instead, he asked a question, even though he was sure he didn't want to hear the answer. "What did you do?"

She looked at him through a dreamy and satisfied smile, as if she had just gotten away with stealing a pack of cigarettes from her mother's purse. "He can't touch us now, Harry. He can't invite his stupid, smelly friends over to drink their whiskey and smoke their pipes."

Harry forced his voice to remain calm. "Did you ... kill him?" The normal tone in which he asked the abnormal question seemed absurd.

Unadulterated joy washed over her as she told Harry how it happened. "He didn't even see it coming. Oh Harry -- you should have seen the look on his face! He couldn't believe it - his _little angel _standing over him_..._holding a long, shiny dagger." Her eyes were wide with delight. "I plunged it into his chest, where I thought his heart would be. I pushed it in as far as it would go. I think I must have hit a rib at first. But then I felt something solid. I _think_ it was his heart," she pondered. "It seemed like forever till he stopped struggling. I wanted him to hurry up and die already!" She got a far away look on her face as she whispered, "It'll be one of our little secrets, Daddy." 

She stared at Harry, as if suddenly becoming aware of his presence. "Don't worry, Harry. I made sure he was dead so he couldn't tell anyone." She looked at Harry and said matter-of-factly, "I slit his throat. I saw his air tube. There was no air going in or out. He was dead, I made sure of it."

Harry willed himself to keep calm. "What did you do with the knife?"

Harry hid his horror as she reached inside her cloak and pulled out a long carving knife, which was covered in blood.

"What do you think I should do with it?" she asked indifferently. When he didn't answer right away, she said, "Harry? Are you all right?"

Harry was sitting next to her on the bed, his head in his hands. He rubbed his eyes, as if trying to wake up from a very bad dream.


	3. Perpetrator

A/N: Many thanks to Ahyanah and John for taking the time to leave a review! I hope you like this chapter. There will be another posted by the end of the week.

Chapter 3: Perpetrator

She stood in front of the mirror and screwed up her face in disgust. She wrapped her arms around her chest and winced at her own image. "I feel so dirty." She turned to Harry. "Can I use your shower?"

Harry's chin dropped slightly. "Sh- shower?"

She nodded. "Please?"

"Er, okay." It wasn't a bad idea. She had blood splattered all over her.

He motioned for her to stay as he got up to check that his family were still asleep. As usual, they were sleeping soundly. Harry administered a generous dose of the sleeping potion to each of them, just in case.

He then quietly led Jade through the dark hallway into the bathroom. "Okay, just be very, very quiet. I'll wait for you in my room."

Her breath caught in her throat. "Harry?" she looked almost desperate. "Would you stay?"

Harry's stomach filled with butterflies. "Wh.. What?"

"Please? I don't want to be alone." She added, "I trust you not to look."

Harry felt slightly annoyed by this but promised to stay.

He sat down on the commode while she slipped into the shower and shut the opaque curtain. In less than a minute, a hand emerged from behind the curtain to drop a bundle of clothes on the floor. He heard water rushing from the spigot.

Soon images began forming in his head. He imagined he could see her, standing behind the maroon-colored, plastic liner, naked underneath the spray of water... letting it hit her smooth but supple lips... and trickle down her soft neck... curving down the small of her back towards her -

She coughed, jolting Harry out of his daydream.

He contemplated asking her if she was all right but thought better of it. With the thoughts going through his mind, he didn't trust the words that would come out of his mouth.

_How am I supposed to do this?_ he thought angrily. _How does she expect me to think clearly when she takes a shower in front of me?_

He shook his head trying to shake the mental picture of her as he pondered what he was going to do. Had he just entered into the territory of aiding and abetting a murderer?

Harry had aided a convicted murderer before. He had helped his Godfather escape the Dementors in his third year at Hogwarts. But he'd always had a clear conscience as far as Sirius was concerned because he knew Sirius was innocent.

Jade was not. She had murdered her father. Considering the state she was in and all the blood, there was no question of it. Yet, here he was, letting her use his shower to get cleaned up. To wash away the blood. To wash away the _evidence_.

Once again, the image of her formed in his mind. Her long, sleek hair... wet glistening body... running a sudsy washcloth across her perfectly smooth skin...

_No! _Harry desperately shook the thoughts from his head._ Keep it together, Harry!_ he scolded himself.

_She's trying to manipulate you. She's doing this on purpose to drive you crazy! _He laughed to himself,_ she must want the company. She's obviously completely nutters. She's twisted. Just like her father. _Harry shuddered._ What made her do this?_

He looked over to the pile of bloodstained clothes on the floor.

He didn't feel sorry for him. He knew it was wrong but he didn't feel sad for Bernard Charles Nott. He had been a loyal servant to Voldemort and had undoubtedly hurt people. But death was so... final. So absolute. There was no going back. No possibility for redemption.

The water stopped. As if suddenly reminded of the presence of a naked, wet girl in the room with him, he sprung to his feet ready for whatever might happen next.

"Harry? Are you still here?" she whispered.

Harry swallowed the lump in his throat. "Yeah."

"Could you get me a towel?"

Harry let out his breath, not realizing he had been holding it in. "Right. A towel," he muttered.

He looked around the room for a towel. All he found were the decorative towels his Aunt Petunia always had neatly displayed on the rack, folded so the maroon floral patterns were perfectly aligned. He had always thought of them as purely decorative; he and Dudley were forbidden to touch them. But they were just towels. He grabbed one and handed it over the top of the curtain to the unseen naked girl on the other side.

"Um... Harry?"

"Yes?" Harry tried to keep his stomach calm.

"Do you... Do you have a bigger towel?"

Harry looked at the perfectly matched set of towels remaining on the rack. There were two large bath towels and one small hand towel. He had given her one of the small towels by mistake.

"Oh! I'm sorry!" He quickly grabbed the large bath towel and handed it over to her.

"Thanks," she said quietly.

Within seconds, she had pulled back the curtain and stepped out of the shower, clad in the bath towel, which was tightly wrapped around her. Her hair was still very wet and dripping but she didn't seem to notice. Her eyes were red and puffy.

She glared at him as she handed him the small towel. "This wouldn't even cover up one of my birthmarks." There was none of the usual flirtatiousness in her voice; instead it was bitter. "But that was the whole idea, wasn't it?" Her words hit Harry like a sucker punch.

"No, it wasn't like that," he said. "I just grabbed the nearest one and didn't even look at it. I'm sorry."

The sincerity in his voice melted her icy expression. Suddenly, it looked like she might cry. "Oh no, I'm sorry, Harry. You've been so good to me. You didn't deserve that." She looked down uncomfortably.

Harry had never seen her like this. Self-conscious and ashamed.

"I should have got you some clothes to change into," he said apologetically. "I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking."

She didn't look up.

"We should get back to my room."

Harry walked over to the door and checked the hallway for any stirrings from his family. Amazingly, they seemed to be sleeping soundly as ever. The house was perfectly quiet except for the soft snoring coming from Dudley's room.

"Come on," he whispered. "The coast is clear."

He picked up her clothes and led her back to his bedroom, quietly shutting the door behind him. He turned to see her standing in the middle of the room, hair still dripping, towel wrapped tightly around her. She was staring at the floor lost in thought.

Harry shifted slightly. "Um, I'll find something for you to put on."

He went over to his dresser and started digging through his clothes for anything that might fit her. He finally found an old pair of frayed khaki shorts and a t-shirt. "These might fit," he said handing them to her.

She took them and before Harry could turn his back, she pulled the shirt over her head and then let the towel fall to her feet. The shirt was an old camp shirt of Dudley's which had a picture of a beaver on the front and it fell easily to her knees. Without a word, she put the shorts on underneath the shirt. Harry stood rooted, staring at her, well aware of the fact that he should have turned around, but she didn't seem to notice or care. She simply crawled into his bed and wrapped the blankets around her shivering body.

Harry wiped his sweaty palms on his pants and slowly walked over to her. Her hazel eyes were open but they looked empty.

"Are you cold?" he asked as he pulled the duvet over her. Her shivering subsided a bit as he lay down next to her.

"Jade?" he said softly.

She stared straight ahead and didn't say anything.

"Why did you do it?"

Silence.

"Did he...hurt you?"

More silence.

"Because..." Harry continued cautiously. "If he did, maybe you could claim it was self defense."

She lifted her head slightly and her eyes flashed angrily at Harry. "He would _never_ hurt me. He _loved _me. He always told me so." She rested her head back on the pillow. "I was everything to him. And I let him down."

Suddenly her face screwed up and tears streamed down her cheek. Harry awkwardly put his arm around her shoulder.

She continued to talk through her sobs. "I didn't want to go. I know he would have made me." She pressed her wet face into the pillow. "I told him I was afraid of You-Know-Who. I said that I didn't want to be one of his... minions or whatever you call them. I _won't_ be one of his minions! Do you know what he did? He laughed. He laughed, and said I'll get over it. _Stop being silly, Bernie._"

"He was going to take you to Voldemort?"

She looked into Harry's eyes searchingly. "What did... what does _he_ look like?"

Harry shifted his gaze to a spot on the wall. "Horrible," he whispered.

"I heard he has red, slanted eyes and," she swallowed, "long fingers."

Harry nodded, not wanting to give any more description than necessary.

She closed her eyes and shivered again. "I'm never going back."

Harry took a deep breath. "Jade," he began cautiously, "The thing is... if it was self-defense... they might be easier on you."

Her eyes finally met his.

"What are you talking about, Harry?"

"I mean...maybe they won't send you to Azkaban. You're young. They may have more sympathy for you..."

"Sympathy? Ha!" she snarled.

"Yes - and if you turn yourself in... that would be even better."

She let out a hollow laugh. "I'm not going to Azkaban," she said slowly. "If they catch me, I'll be going someplace much, much worse."

Harry stared at her waiting for her to continue. "Where?" When she didn't answer right away, he added, "I didn't know there was another place the Ministry sends mur... uh, people."

"The Ministry?" she said angrily. "I'm not talking about the Ministry, Harry. Do you honestly think the You-Know-Who would let me get away with killing one of his servants? Oh no. He'd never let me get sent to Azkaban. He'd want to deal with me himself."

Harry realized she was probably right.  
  
Her features softened. "Do you think I'm sexy, Harry?"

Taken aback by the question, Harry involuntarily took in her puffy, bloodshot eyes and blotchy, makeup-free cheeks.

She asked again in a flat, emotionless voice, "Do you want me?"

Harry was suddenly very aware of the fact that they were cramped together in a single bed, lying quite horizontal. "Why are you asking me that?" he said.

She stared at him coldly. "My father always said it was all I was good for."

Harry gaped at her, feeling very uncomfortable.

"My magic has never been too hot. I barely passed potions last year. He said I'm too stupid to get anywhere in life unless I use the few assets I was born with. He said he could tell I wanted it. But, you know what? I didn't. I didn't want it." Anger resonated in her voice. "I didn't want it with him or any of his stupid friends. And I hope they all go to hell."

"I'm sure they will," was all Harry could think to say.

"And I don't think that's all I'm good for. Tonight, I told him so. He was lying in the bed, staring up at the ceiling. He was coughing up blood, at that point. I told him." She paused to lick her dry lips. "I told him that I don't think that's all I'm good for."

Harry took a breath, and said softly. "That's not all your good for."

"No. I'm also good at murder." She smiled. "The Dark Lord would like that, too. How ironic. I suppose I'm Death Eater material, after all."

"No, you're not Death Eater material," Harry said a bit louder than he meant. "You don't have to be. You have options."

Jade tutted. "What options?"

Harry thought for moment. "What about your Mother?"

Her body slumped as she let out a defeated laugh. "She'd hand me over to them in a second. She's jealous of me."

Harry was incredulous. "Your own mother would hand you over to the Death Eaters?"

"In a second," she whispered.

"What are you going to do?"

She slowly closed her eyes.

"Jade? I'm sorry but you can't stay here. I know some people who may be able to -"

"I'm so tired, Harry. Can't I just sleep for a little while?"

"But..." Harry desperately tried to think up another arrangement.

"Please? I'm so tired," she whispered.

Harry took a deep breath. He brushed a strand of hair away from her cheek. She seemed so peaceful. "For just a little while, all right?"

~~~~~~~~~~


	4. Siren

Thanks to those who left a review!

Ahyahah: I've never seen "No U-Turn" but I have seen "U-Turn" so if this is the movie you meant, I suppose it's possible that a line from that movie crept into my subconscious but it wasn't deliberate. Thanks for sacrificing your comfort to leave me a review. ^_^

John: I'm so glad you like Jade. It's hard to find readers who won't be upset if Harry isn't paired with Ginny, Hermione or Draco. The small amount of fluff that may find its way into this story won't show up for at least a couple more chapters. In fact, the next chapter is going to be quite dark.

And now comes my confession: Up until a week ago, I had no idea how this story was going to end. Since then, it's all come together quite nicely in my head and I even wrote much of the last chapter. I'm going to try and get it all done by the time OotP comes out so I apologize if it sounds rushed. I haven't spent as much time as I'd like on it and it really shows in the writing but I think it's a good story so I will stay on it.

Chapter Four is my personal favorite because it let me indulge my bizarre affection for the Dursleys. Hope you like it.

Chapter 4: Siren

_Harry opened his eyes to a bright blue sky sprinkled with fluffy white cirrus clouds hanging far above him. He leaned up on his elbows and saw that he was in a clearing of a lush green forest next to a meandering stream. In a nearby alder tree, magpies cackled as they spoke to each other. The water bubbled and trickled around the stones and from far upstream came the sound of a steady roar. Heeding its call, he stood up and began to walk towards the sound of the rushing water._

_He walked through the trees following a path which ran alongside the stream. Soon he came into a larger clearing where there was a small but pristine waterfall cascading down a moss-covered rocky hillside. And somebody was singing._

_It was Jade. She stood at the bottom of the waterfall letting the water wash over her bare skin as she hummed a beautiful melody._ _Her voice was soft and full of happiness. It filled him with so much joy; he felt he would lift off the ground. Seeing him, she smiled and beckoned him to come closer._

_He walked toward her, entranced by the sound of her voice and the sight of her glistening body sparkling in the sunlight._ _When he reached the edge of the shallow pool she was standing in, the singing stopped and the smile was gone from her face._

_"Don't stop. That's really nice," he said._

_She smiled and gave him a nod to indicate that she would continue. But when she began to hum again, her voice was different. It sounded more like a ringing._

_It was a siren._

_Harry's heart began to race and he quickly looked around for the source of the siren._

_"Oh, no!" he yelled. "It's the police! They're going to put us in Azkaban!"_

_Jade didn't seem to hear the noise. Her face contorted into a maniacal sneer. She opened up her mouth and from out of her ruby red lips came a high, cold laugh..._

Harry woke to find himself in his own bed, drenched with sweat, still in his clothes, lying next to Jade. It had been a dream.

But the siren was real.

Harry bolted upright and tried to clear the sleep-induced fogginess out of his head. The ringing continued.

As he listened closer, he suddenly realized it wasn't a siren. It was his Uncle Vernon's alarm clock! Giving a great sigh of relief, he collapsed back down on the bed. It wasn't the police after all. He shuddered as he realized that neither the Wizard Law Enforcement nor the Death Eaters would be so merciful as to announce themselves with sirens.

He looked over to the girl in his bed next to him. He had _a girl sleeping in his bed!_ He smiled as he imagined the look on Ron's face.

Harry quietly got out of bed and walked over to his trunk to fetch his invisibility cloak. It would be useful to cover up the girl in his bed in case his uncle decided to pay him a visit before he left for work. He never usually visited Harry's room but Harry wanted to be prepared for anything. As he rummaged through the books and school uniforms in his trunk, a feeling of dread came over him. Something wasn't right.

He stood up and looked around his room. There was a girl in his bed wearing his old shorts and t-shirt and a pile of bloodstained clothes lay in the corner wrapped up in a floral patterned bath towel that Harry was certain had never been used for anything but decoration. _How very astute to notice that something wasn't right._ Harry laughed at himself. But there was something else.

The alarm. It was still ringing. Why hadn't his uncle turned it off? Harry listened for any other sounds of activity in the house. The only sound was the alarm blaring from his uncle's bedroom. Reeeeeep. Reeeeeep. Reeeeeep.

He slowly got up and walked towards the door and into the hallway. As he got closer to the master bedroom, the ringing got louder. Gently, he knocked on the door. "Uncle Vernon?" he called. The alarm blared on but there was no response from either of his relatives. Harry slowly turned the knob and opened the door just enough to peak inside. There were his aunt and uncle, still sound asleep in bed, despite the loud ringing coming from the alarm on the night stand.

Harry suddenly felt a large lump at the pit of his stomach. "Uh oh," he said under his breath. He moved quickly over to the bed and very gently (just in case) nudged his uncle. "Uncle Vernon? Uncle Vernon, wake up. It's time to get up for work." There was no movement from his uncle. Just the continued rise and fall of his chest with the heavy breathing of sleep.

"Come on now." He reached over to his aunt. "Aunt Petunia?" She was usually a much lighter sleeper than his uncle. Certainly, she would wake up. He nudged her gently but there was no response. He nudged her harder and yelled, "Aunt Petunia! Wake up!"

Petunia Dursley's mouth hung open breathing softly, but there was no fluttering of her eyelids. Harry heard a voice behind him, "How much did you give them?"

Jade was standing in the doorway leaning against the frame.

"What are you doing in here? They'll _see_ you," Harry said anxiously.  
  
Jade let out a laugh. "Right. How much did you give them?"

"Just a little bit!" Harry insisted. "What's wrong with them?"

She walked closer to the bed and gave the sleeping Muggles an amused look. "How much?"

"It was just - I just did one or two extra sprays!" Harry continued shaking his uncle. "Or maybe three. Oh, I don't remember! I had a few other things on my mind last night!" The rising panic in his voice momentarily turned into anger. He turned to the alarm clock, which was still beeping loudly. "If that thing doesn't shut up, I'm going to throw it out the window!" he yelled as he flipped off the alarm.

Jade was now giggling softly.

Harry was furious. "You think this is _funny_? If he doesn't wake up, he's going to be late for work. And he'll blame me!"

"But Harry, it _was_ your fault," she said trying to stifle her laughter.

"You're not helping the situation! Don't you have anything constructive to add? Help me wake them up!"

Jade's laughter died down. "I don't think that's possible Harry," she said in a serious tone of voice.

"What? Isn't there some counter potion or something?"

She pondered his question. "Hmm, yes there is. All we need... are some rooster feathers and meadowsweet leaves. Shall I go borrow a cup from the neighbors?" she said grinning ear to ear.

"This is bad." Harry sighed as he inspected his uncle for any sign of life. "This is bad. Uncle Vernon!" he continued shaking him.

"Give it up, Harry. You're not going to wake him." She reached out and sympathetically put a hand on his shoulder. "My mum has taken too much of that stuff before. Nothing will wake them up. Believe me, I know. A herd of wild elephants wouldn't wake them up."

"No!" shouted Harry. "That's not acceptable! There has to be a way to wake them up! Please help me, Jade," he pleaded to her.

An idea seemed to form in her mind. Abruptly, she leapt on top of the bed, and started to violently jump up and down. "Wake the Muggles! Wake the Muggles!" she sang gleefully. Vernon and Petunia Dursley rolled back and forth in the undulating bed, their heads periodically bouncing into each other. Yet, they showed no signs of stirring.

She fell down on her knees and her eyes widened. "Harry!" she shouted. "I have a great idea!"

"Good - let's hear it," Harry said eagerly.

"Let's _do it_ on the bed while the Muggles are sleeping!"

Harry stared at her as he let his mind process what she was saying. He knew what she had said but he was having trouble believing it. "What!?"

She grabbed his hands and pulled him towards her; he had to stop himself from falling on the bed. She leaned in close to him and gave him a hungry look. "Let's _do it_. Right _here_. Right _now_."

"You are crazy!" Harry shouted. The thought was completely absurd. "There is no way we're... _here_... with _them_!"

She rolled her eyes. "Oh come on, Harry. Let's have some fun! They're not going to wake up. I think we've established that."

He backed away from her. "You are unbelievable! There is something seriously wrong with you! Do you not realize what kind of trouble you're in? What you've gotten me into?"

"Harry," she started. "Are you gay?"

Harry frowned at her.

"Is that it?" she continued. "Do you fancy boys?"

Harry gaped at her, mouth hanging open in stunned fury. But as he stared at her, a sudden realization hit him and his face softened into a look of pity.

"What?" she said.

"Why do you call yourself Jade?" he asked calmly.

She was taken aback by question. "Well, it's a much better name than Bernice. I don't know. I just like it. It simple but pretty. It's pure."

"Pure?" said Harry incredulously. Slowly, he shook his head. "I feel sorry for you."

"You feel sorry for me?!" she spat.

Harry nodded. "Yes, I do."

Jade was furious. "Well, fuck off then!" She leapt off the bed and stomped out of the room.

Harry followed her down the hall and back into his room. He was overcome with frustration. "Don't go," he said.

She was rummaging through the clothes scattered on the floor looking for something. "I don't need your fucking pity. You're the one who's pathetic! I come to you, practically throwing myself at you, and you don't even know what to do! Where's my goddamn broomstick?"

Harry sighed. "Jade, you're in a lot of trouble. You need help."

She turned to glare at him. "No I don't. I don't need anyone! Least of all, you!" Angrily, she tore sheets off the bed as if she thought her broomstick might be hiding in the folds of the blankets.

Harry reached a hand out to her but she purposefully moved out of his reach. "What are you going to do?" he said with much concern.

"What the hell do you care? You've been trying to get rid of me for days now. Well, you finally have your wish. I'm leaving and not ever coming back. When You-Know-Who finds out I killed one of his servants and he comes to kill me... or worse, I'll remember this moment. How I just wanted to have one last moment of joy before..."

"It's not my fault you're in this mess! Don't lay a guilt trip on me!"

"I'm sorry," she said but her voice was still cold. "You're right. It's all my fault. You can have a clear conscience when they find my mutilated body. I thought you were a good person, Harry. I thought you would help a friend in need. I guess I was wrong."

"I have done everything I could to try and help you! You're not even trying to help yourself. You're just digging yourself in deeper and dragging me down with you!"

"Fine. I'm leaving as soon as I find my broomstick." Her eyes roamed to the corner behind the desk where she saw what she had been looking for.

"You can't just leave out the window in broad daylight," Harry said.

She went to the corner, grabbed her broomstick and walked straight to the window. "I'll do whatever I damn well please." She swung open the window, mounted her brookstick and took off into the cool, early morning air.

*****

As the day wore on, Harry periodically checked on the Dursleys, but they never stirred. He began to worry that they would never wake up. Even if they did wake up, there was no way he could prevent them from finding out that they had all mysteriously overslept. As the hour became later, his explanations became less and less believable.

He spent the day in the quiet house washing his sheets and the bloody bath towels. Normally, he would have enjoyed having the house to himself but he wasn't able to take any pleasure from it today. After starting the wash, he sat down to write the letter that he had been dreading.

Dear Snuffles,

Something has happened and I need to talk to you about it in person because I don't think it would be a good idea to tell it in a letter. It has to do with the girl I wrote to you about yesterday. I'm sorry to bother you but it's very important.

Hope to hear from you soon.

Harry

Preparing for the worst, Harry spent the rest of the afternoon packing his things away in his trunk. There was no telling how his relatives would react when they woke up. Sleeping through an entire day of work might just be the last straw for his uncle.

The next morning, he awoke to the unmistakable sounds of his Uncle Vernon yelling. Harry was too full of dread to be able to feel a moment's relief that his uncle was awake. He quickly got out of bed and made his way to their bedroom.

His Aunt Petunia was still lying in bed rubbing her eyes. "Well I don't know why the alarm didn't ring, dear. I could've sworn I turned it on last night."

Vernon Dursley was busy rummaging in his bureau drawer looking for a matching sock. "Now I'm going to be late for work."

They hadn't even noticed Harry standing in the door. He spoke up, "It's Saturday."

Vernon stopped. "What?" he barked.

"It's Saturday. Look at your clock."

Vernon and Petunia eyed the clock on the night stand, which verified that the day was indeed Saturday.

"He's right, Vernon." said Petunia. "It is Saturday."

Vernon stared at the clock for a moment then sat back down on the bed. "Well," he let out a laugh. "That's odd. I could've sworn it was Friday." He scratched his head in mild confusion.

Petunia laughed as well. "Goodness me. How did the days get away from us?" she said.

Vernon was suddenly in very good spirits. "Ah well. If the clock says its Saturday, far be it for me to argue with it." He chuckled at his own joke. Once again, the after-effects of the potion had left them in uncharacteristically pleasant spirits.

But Harry knew he would have to tell them what happened. His aunt and uncle may not question a missing day but his cousin Dudley scheduled every day of the summer according to what was on the television. He would know. Harry had to come clean and there was no time like the present. He took a deep breath before he began. "Yes, actually you slept through Friday. You see, I had a little accident with a sleeping potion I was brewing behind the house between the air conditioner unit, I had to brew it for school, and it somehow got into the ventilation system..."

The bemused looks on Vernon and Petunia's faces faded. Harry talked more quickly. "...well I tried everything I possibly could to wake you up on Friday, but it's okay because your work called and I told them you were very, very sick and they were very concerned and wanted you to take the day off because you never take the day off, but before you get angry, Uncle Vernon, I _know_ what I've done is very, very wrong and I very much regret it and feel awful about it and I promise that it'll never happen again but I can't undo it. What's done is done and no amount of yelling at me or pounding on me is going to change that, and I know I deserve punishment and I'll accept whatever punishment you think I deserve and if you think its beyond punishment, let me know and I'll pack my things and leave, if it comes to that. So I'll be in my room awaiting whatever punishment you decide on."

Before he could get a response, Harry ran out the door and down the hall to close himself in his room. He sat on his bed, heart beating rapidly.

That was that. The only thing to do now was wait for the fireworks.

Back in the master bedroom, Vernon and Petunia stared at each other slightly dazed. Vernon spoke first. "Did he just say that we slept through Friday?"

"Yes," said Petunia slowly. "He gave us a _sleeping potion_."

Harry didn't have to wait long for his speech to sink into his uncle's addled brain. Within minutes, Vernon Dursley had barged into his room, looking very confused but furious.

"You are so punished, boy," he sputtered angrily. "You are punished for the rest of the summer."

"Okay," said Harry nervously.

"And..." Vernon stood in Harry's doorway struggling with his words.

Harry tried to look hurt. "Are you going to give me chores to do for part of my punishment?"

Vernon's eyes lit up. "Yes! Yes, you have to do chores too!" He seemed very pleased with himself.

Harry waited. Seeing that he wasn't going to get any more information, he asked, "What chores do I have to do?"

Vernon's face fell back into a confused grimace. "Uh... You have to..."

Harry waited. "Clean the garage?" he offered.

"Yes!" Vernon exclaimed. "As your punishment, you have to clean out the garage!"

Obviously, his uncle didn't realize that the garage was still spotless from the last time Harry had cleaned it. Harry nodded and tried to look pained. "The _whole_ garage?"

Vernon leered at Harry, "Yes! You have to clean out the whole garage! And... then you have to..."

"Sweep the floor?"

"Yes! Sweep the floor!" said Vernon.

"And mop?"

"Of course mop! When I say sweep, I mean sweep and mop! Don't sauce me boy!"

Harry nodded in a most forlorn manner. "Yes, Uncle Vernon," he said sadly.

"And let that be a lesson to you!"

Harry nodded.

Vernon gave Harry one last sneer before disappearing back into the hallway.

As his bedroom door shut behind his uncle, Harry's face spread into a grin. 

*****

Later that night, miles from the manicured lawns and suburban tranquility of Privet Drive, a small cloaked figure entered a dark and dingy alley on the outskirts of London. The figure slowly walked up the alley, peering into the darkness. Out of the shadows from the light post, came a large man wearing a long, gray cloak. The small figure walked up to the man, pulled back her hood and spoke to him. "Thank you for meeting me, Mr. Crabbe."

"You have a lot of nerve asking me for help after what you did to Bernie."

"I didn't do it, Mr. Crabbe. I swear. It wasn't me. Please... you have to believe me."

He stared at her skeptically for a moment. But then his face softened and he said, "I believe you."

"I don't know what to do now. I'm afraid of what the Dark Lord might do to me. Please help me." She looked down and stared at the ground. "I'll do anything."

His eyes roamed downward to her fitted top, which emphasized her small girlish curves and softly fluttering skirt. He reached up and swept a strand of hair from her check. "Don't worry," he smiled. "I'll take care of you."

  


A/N: Foreboding ending, eh? 

Thank you for reading! Please take a moment to leave a review.


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